2007 Arab League summit

The original venue of the 19th Arab summit was to be Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, but, in mid-January 2007, Amr Moussa, Secretary-General of the Arab League, announced that the summit would convene in Riyadh. This, according to scholars, seemed an “indication that Saudi Arabia was keen to promote the cause of Arab unity.”[2] Ambassador Mohamed Qattan, Saudi permanent representative to the Arab League, said, “The ongoing developments in the Arab region and the critical situation that the Arab peoples are passing through has prompted the Saudi monarch to call for the convocation of the summit in Riyadh rather than Sharm El-Sheikh.”[2] Egyptian leaders did not publicly question the matter.

The venue, date and agenda of the annual Arab summit have always been an issue of contention, speculation and controversy. When Arab leaders met in Cairo in October 2000 to adopt a resolution proposing the annual convocation of the Arab summit, they decided that the chairmanship of the summit would be rotated among the 22 member states of the League, and that the summit should convene at the headquarters of the Arab League unless the chair wished to host it. In March 2001, Jordan chaired and hosted the Arab summit. This, however, was the first and last time in which the convocation of the Arab summit was a smooth operation.

A major issue that marred the 2007 Arab League summit was the absence of Libya. According to Libyan Foreign Minister Abdel Rahman Shalgham, Libya boycotted the summit in protest of the lack of “seriousness” of Arab countries. "All the Arabs now consider Iran to be the main enemy and have forgotten Israel," said Shalgham. While Arabs "keep pressing the Palestinians to respond to the conditions of the (Middle East) Quartet, no one presses Israel."[3] In January 2007, Moussa traveled to Libya to discuss the matter with Libyan leader, Muammar al-Gaddafi. Moussa aimed to secure Libya's participation in the Riyadh summit but ultimately failed. Libya's absence has also been attributed to a public quarrel that al-Gaddafi had with King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia in 2003 over the United States military presence in the region.[4] Gaddafi would later go on to once again publicly reject the Arab Peace Initiative, stating: "The Arab initiative is nothing more than an Arab scheme, these massacres (in Gaza) were caused because of it. It has encouraged the enemy to do it. We should be ashamed of such proposals."[5]

The main areas of discussion in the summit:

• The Israeli–Palestinian conflict
• A resolution to tensions in Iraq

The member-states at the Riyadh conference asserted that Arab states should fully tackle issues of Arab national security. Furthermore, sources and forms of political, security, economic, cultural, and social threats from both inside and outside the Arab world would be taken into consideration.[14] Moreover, the conference:[15]

• Decided to convene a consultative summit in the future to tackle specific issues, if necessary. Closed-door discussions would be confined to the issue of concern.
• An open expert-level task force will be formed to determine the nature of current and future risks and challenges facing the Arab ummah and forge appropriate proposals.
• The conference confirmed complete support for the Makkah Document, appreciating efforts exerted by other Arab countries, the Arab League, and Organisation of the Islamic Conference, which contributed to reaching the agreement, which resulted in the formation of a national unity government.
• Arab leaders reiterated full Arab solidarity with Lebanon and their promise to provide political and economic support to the Lebanese government in such a way that maintains Lebanese national unity as well as Lebanese security, stability and sovereignty over all its territory. Moreover, Arab leaders welcomed the seven-point plan presented by the Lebanese government, calling on the UN Secretary General and Security Council to take the Lebanese proposal, included in this plan regarding Sheba'a Farms area, into consideration when the UN Secretary General presents his proposals on this subject in accordance with Security council resolution number 1701 and 1702. Furthermore, the conference adopted a plan for supporting Lebanon during the reconstruction phase and the development of its economy presented by the economic and social council, which met in Beirut on 16-17/10/2006.
• The meeting strongly condemned international terrorism, noting that the Arab states are effectively participating in anti-terror efforts.
• Arab leaders stressed their support for the United Arab Emirates’ full sovereignty over the three islands of Greater and Lesser Tomb and Abu Musa. Moreover, it also condemned Iran’s continued occupation of these Islands.
• Leaders also underlined Libya's legitimate right to indemnifications for the damage resulting from sanctions imposed on it.
• Leaders stressed the need for the Sudanese government and the African Union to continue their efforts to establish security and stability in Darfur. The conference also called upon armed groups that failed to sign the Darfur peace agreement to renounce military escalation.
• The summit welcomed the African Union’s decision to send African troops to bolster stability in Somalia. It also called on member states to extend various forms of support to the Somali government.
• Leaders decided to convene an extra ordinary ministerial level meeting of the Arab League Council, preceded by a meeting of commitment of senior Arab officials to evaluate Arab efforts to rid the Middle East region of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.
• The meetings asked the Secretary General to pursue efforts and contacts with the European Union presidency and the European commission to develop collective Arab-European relations.
• Leaders expressed keenness in enhancing relations with China.
• The council approved the general structure of the Executive program of the Arab customs union. Moreover, it also approved the continuous Arab agricultural development strategy.
• Arab leaders urged Arab states to study the enactment of laws and regulations to encourage inter-Arab tourism.

Through the Riyadh Summit, Arab leaders “re-launched their blueprint for peace in the Middle East.”[16] As the Riyadh Declaration shows, leaders of the Arab world hoped to “reexamine their state of affairs.” Islam, moreover, was used as a uniting factor to achieve peace:

“We are inspired by our religious and Arab values that renounce all forms of immoderation, extremism and racism; and stressing the aims of boosting the Arab identity, deepening its cultural bases, and continuing its open humanistic message, while facing the challenges and risks threatening to re-schematize the state of affairs in the region, dissolve the common Arab identity, and undermine the connections that bind us.” Throughout its history, Professor of Middle East Studies, Roger Owen explains, “the Arab League has acted as though the Arab states should conduct their relations in terms more of notions of brotherhood than of protocol.”[17] Moreover, the leaders at Riyadh explain, “We are all, leaders, officials and citizens; parents and children; partners in drawing our own destiny and preserving our identity, culture, values and interests. Dangerous challenges can only increase the resolve and faith of great nations. The Arab nation is capable, with God’s help, to achieve the security, dignity, and prosperity it deserves when it unifies its ranks and strengthens its joint actions.”

To date, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has “not agreed to fully-fledged negotiations over the three main final status issues – borders, the status of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees – as proposed by Mr. Abbas. Israeli officials said any commitment now could raise expectations and lead to further violence if talks broke down.”[18]

Moreover, Saudi Arabia still has not created diplomatic ties with Israel because of Israel's continued negative treatment of Palestinians.

The situation in Iraq is still grim; stability still has not been achieved.

In many ways, it is too soon to tell whether the Riyadh Summit of 2007 has had long-lasting positive effects on tensions in the Middle East. Its resolutions, however, were a positive step in the right direction.

Upon completion of the summit meeting, leaders of the Arab League decided to reconvene for the 20th Arab League summit in Syria in March 2008.[19]